Book after Book

Written by Emmeline Pankhurst Published by Vintage Books "I began to think about the vote in women’s hands not only as a right but as a desperate necessity." (p.27) This ye ar marks the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which granted votes to women over the age of 30 with property valued at £5 or more. It is thanks to the anniversary of this milestone in the Votes for Women campaign that I reached for my copy of My Own Story , Emmeline Pankhurst’s memoir, first published in Great Britain in 1914. The faded receipt hidden among the pages places my purchase on the 30th December 2014 in the shop of the National Portrait Gallery in London. It has taken me a while to do justice to Mrs Pankhurst’s words and I now firmly believe that everyone should read this book, regardless of sex or political beliefs. If you are looking for gossip, you will find none. What you will gain by reading this book is a clear and matter-of-fact insight into the Women’...

100 years ago, for the first time in the UK, some women obtained the right to vote! A lot is still to be achieved but it is only fair to remember everything that has already been achieved and to be grateful to those extraordinary women who have come before us. A great film to watch - and definitely worth a re-watch - is Suffragette : If you're more into the written word, this is what I am going to be reading this month: My Own Story by Emmeline Pankhurst and an interesting article about Eleanor Marx - because all great women deserve to be remembered. I will be sharing more titles in celebration of 100 years of vote on Twitter , using the hashtag #FeministBookshelf . Please feel free to add your recommendations in the comments below or on Twitter.